Beauty, Grace, Regality, Magic
by PanicFOB
Summary: Florence loves Hogwarts, far more than she loves her real home. She has been forced to live her life in secret, except when she is at school. Her mother is someone very important in the UK, but who? Florence must deal with all the secrets while enjoying her two best friends and admiring Scorpius Malfoy from afar. Complications and romance will follow.
1. Chapter 1

First, I should apologize for being away from writing for so long. I've been going through some depression and some major life changes and writing fanfiction just wasn't what I wanted to do for a while. I still don't know if I will return to my other two fics Living in the Present and Better with Age, but I am quite determined to work on this one for a while. I know people aren't as likely to read fics with OC as a main character, but if you like the characters of Albus and Scorpius, I promise the fic will have you satisfied. This idea has been bugging me for a week so I was finally forced to write it down. If you like my other two stories at all, give this a shot!

 _Dear mother,_

 _You'll be glad to know that I've made it safely back to Hogwarts. My friends Olive and Lev are quite happy to see me. They keep asking for details of my summer. Unfortunately, I'm forced to give them the usually run down. "Nothing interesting", I say, "Lots of reading. Lots of Yoga." They either think I have the most boring like of any witch or they think I'm lying through my teeth at the start of each year. I already miss you dearly. Send my regards to Papa, Wylder, and Charlie._

 _With Love,_

 _Florence_

Florence tied the scroll to the leg of a small brown owl, sent it on its way, and then left the owlery. She made her way to the Great Hall for a small breakfast with friends before her first day of classes. She smiled to herself, happy that she was back in a place where she could roam freely, speak to whomever she wanted, and not live in secret. It got very tiring over the summers with her mother and the maids being her only companions. She couldn't wait until she graduated from Hogwarts and got a job in the wizarding world. Then she could get a place of her own and live however she liked.

"Hullo, Florence!" Olive shouted.

"Good morning Florence!" Lev chimed in.

"Guys! Keep it down, will you? The entire Great Hall doesn't need to be made aware of my arrival," Florence chided as she sat down and grabbed a plate.

She listened to her friends gush about their trips to France and Romania, listened to them blush over the boys they had met and the things they may or may not have done with those boys. She pretended to feel only happiness for them and their adventures, but she secretly felt numb inside. Why couldn't her summers be at least a little bit interesting? There was her secret little problem that constantly got in the way of any fun for Florence.

She looked up from the newest Daily Prophet across to the Slytherin table. Over the past year she had found her eyes wondering in that direction more and more frequently. Ravenclaws have plenty of wit and stimulating conversation, but when she studied Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy sitting side-by-side obviously having the time of their lives she couldn't help but wish to be sitting next to them. Albus was a funny and friendly guy; she spoke to him often in classes. Scorpius was something entirely different. Florence found ninety-nine percent of her thoughts revolved around the young Malfoy. He was stunning, graceful, charming, and genuinely kind hearted. She hadn't spoken to him very often, but every time she did he took her breath away. Florence didn't think it very likely that he had any interest in her. Albus was the one that clearly had an eye for her.

"What do you think, Florence?"

Florence snapped out of her daze, "Hmmm?"

"Were you not listening to us?" Olive asked.

"Sorry, I zoned out a bit.

"All right. I asked if you wanted to partner with me in potions this year since Lev is taking the NEWT level."

"Oh! Of course, Olive. Whom else would I partner with?"

Lev chimed in, "Perhaps the guy you've been staring at for ten minutes," she paused when Florence choked on her pumpkin juice and then went on, "his family is notoriously good with potions."

Florence rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear anything else Lev said for the rest of breakfast.

"Now class, today we will be covering some important NEWT information. Take extensive notes," Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"Do you think this man will ever die?" Florence heard Albus whisper to his best friend, both of whom were sitting right in front of her and Olive.

"I mean he's only 200 and something, Albus. He probably hasn't even had a midlife crisis yet," Scorpius replied coolly. Florence smiled to herself and rolled her eyes. Then, Scorpius whispered to Albus, "So, did you end up sleeping with Candice?" Florence raised her eyebrows at this. She wasn't aware that Albus was the type to sleep around.

Florence averted her eyes just before Albus turned his head and glanced in her direction. He turned back to Scorpius and said, "No I did not."

"Yes you did! I can tell by the look on your face."

"Shut up, Scorpius!" Albus half whispered half yelled.

Florence felt a tap on her shoulder. "What was that all about, do you think?" Lev asked quietly.

Florence simply shrugged, but she had a slight idea of why Albus got so embarrassed. He didn't want Florence of all people to know that he went through girls so quickly.

"I can't wait for dinner tonight," Lev whispered.

"Why's that?" Olive replied.

"I have a slight suspicion that William is going to ask be out," she answered with an excited smile.

"Ugh, William. What a boring name."

"You're just mad that your love life is seriously lacking. Don't blame me for it."

"Well it is true that Hogwarts does not have a sufficient supply of out lesbians," Olive said sadly.

"Don't worry Olive," Florence assured her, "most people don't find their mate until after school anyway."

After charms class, the rest of the day went by quickly for the students. They looked forward to the evening feast where McGonagall would be making a special announcement, which all of the students had been trying to figure out to no avail. Around 5 in the afternoon Florence made it back to the Ravenclaw dorm and was surprised to see that her mother had already replied to her letter from this morning. She gave the owl a treat and a few pets, then untied the letter.

 _My dearest daughter,_

 _You must not despair over the loneliness you experience in the summer, for it is far outshown by the friendship and joy you experience at Hogwarts. I may have your father and brothers, but my entire life has been far lonelier than yours will ever be. I promise that when you graduate Hogwarts and never return to this home, it will all have been worth it. You will be happy to be a full time wizard and a full time human, no longer having to live in secret. Only one more summer to go! I love you fiercely!_

 _Mum_

Florence wiped away her tears and attempted to make her makeup presentable once again. She knew her mother was speaking the truth, but that didn't make all the secret keeping any less difficult. Her two best friends didn't even know the truth about who she is. She brushed through her wavy, dark brown hair and then went down for dinner.

"It is my great pleasure to announce to you all that we will be hosting a ball for a very special guest this year." McGonagall stated loudly. "As you know, since the war, Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic have made an effort to show that they will always be united. Every few years we want to illustrate that the Ministry will never turn their back on the teachers and students of Hogwarts. Therefore, Hogwarts will be hosting a ball for the students and teachers will special guest as the Minister of Magic, the Head Auror, and a few other key ministry officials. They will be here to communicate that the Ministry serves its people. They will also be scouting for Ministry positions, so sixth and seventh years should be at the top of their game during the week of these events. The ball will not be until just before Christmas, but there will be a lot of planning and preparations involved. We will have signup sheet for a committee outside the Great Hall doors. That is all. Enjoy your feast."


	2. Chapter 2

In reply to Qoheleth: It could be a guy's name but I prefer to think of names as gender fluid. There are many names that go to both men and women. Why can't Lev be one too? It has nothing particularly masculine about it. I felt it went well with the character I am trying to create. Thanks for the question though! I love answering anything about my stories. And thank you to RowenaRavenclaw14 for the other review that I received.

 _Dear mother,_

 _I am extremely nervous for the first committee meeting. I wish I had been raised to go to things like this all the time. I couldn't convince Olive and Lev to sign up with me. I have no idea who else will be there, hopefully some other Ravenclaws. I'm not even sure why I signed up. I guess I just wanted to do something productive, something organizational, something that would make you proud. Have fun with the cabinet!_

 _With love,_

 _Florence_

Florence was slowly walking toward the smaller hall which the students used for clubs and such. The thought of this first committee meeting intimidated Florence to no end. What if she had to speak, introduce herself or something? What if she had to provide creative ideas? Why did she think she would be good at something like this? She cursed Olive and Lev for not enduring this with her. When she entered the hall, the chairs were arranged in a circle. Florence groaned, she was definitely going to have to introduce herself or something. It was going to be humiliating. There were only five students here so far. She sat in a spot that had empty seats on both sides, forcing someone else to have to choose to sit next to her.

She pretended to be very interested in her fingernails for five minutes before she felt someone sit down next to her. Florence looked up to find Scorpius Malfoy greeting her with a smile. "Florence, good to see you," he said with a nod.

Florence barely had her wits about her enough to smile back and reply, "I'm surprised to see you here, Scorpius."

"Why's that?" he was still smiling at her. Did he always smile this much?

"Well surely quiditch takes up most of your time?"

"Not really. I'm not the captain, so I don't have all that extra work, and our captain is a lazy sod, so he doesn't over assign practices."

"Isn't your captain Albus Potter?" Florence asked with a confused look on her face.

"Precisely," he answered with an even bigger grin. Florence couldn't help it; she snorted. She had been trying to hold back her lame giggle, but it all came out with an obnoxious snort.

"I'm sorry," she said feeling rather embarrassed.

"About what?" Scorpius asked, still with that charming smile.

Before Florence could embarrass herself anymore, the head of the committee stood up and asked them all to quiet down. Two hours later, Florence had been assigned to the music of the entire event. She would have to find appropriate songs for the entrances, the dinner parties, the speeches, and the ball itself. However, her music taste was the one perfect thing about Florence. She was ecstatic that this duty had been assigned to her. There was a group of six that was in charge of the decorations. Two were assigned the duty of communicating with the house elves about food choices. And Scorpius was given the task of deciding proper attire for each part of the weeklong event and communicating with the Ministry and fellow people at Hogwarts what they would be required to wear at each stage. Lastly, some poor Hufflepuff would be required to organize seating charts.

Just as Florence was exiting the hall, on her way to Ravenclaw tower, someone gently grabbed her forearm. It was Scorpius.

"Yes?" Florence asked sweetly.

"I was wondering if you could help me with my charms essay. You're quite good in the subject, and I can never manage to stay focused with Albus at my side."

"Oh, right. Sure! When were you thinking?"

"Tomorrow during lunch? You're welcome to come sit at the Slytherin table. That is, if you're not afraid of snakes." He flashed her yet another grin.

"I'm not," she answered.

"Well then, tomorrow it is?"

Florence felt her heart racing. "See you then," she managed and then hurried to her common room.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Lev asked her just before bed.

"Definitely not Scorpius Malfoy," she said with a blush.

"OH MY MERLIN, did he kiss you or something?"

"No! It was barely anything. He asked me to sit with him at lunch tomorrow and help him with his charms essay. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. Probably just using me for my Ravenclaw brains."

"Quit being so modest, Florence. You're hot and awesome. If Malfoy can't see that, he's blind. He probably just wants an excuse to get to know you better before he asks you on a real date."

"Maybe. I wonder why he didn't want to just meet in the library sometime. Why at the Slytherin table during lunch.

"Hmmm… That is a little weird. Maybe he thought it would be less awkward with lots of people around.

"What the hell, Scorpius! You've known for two years that I like her! What is your problem?!"

"Albus, quit throwing your little fit and listen to me. I did this so that you would have a chance to talk to her. I wasn't trying to have a go at her. If she sits with us at lunch, she will be right in between me and you. You'll be able to talk to her as much as you like."

"Or she'll think I'm a creep for continuing to interrupt her while she's trying to help you with homework."

"It won't seem that way. I'll make sure that we are all engaging in friendly conversation the entire time."

"And then you can just go chat her up yourself during your stupid organization committee," Albus sat down on his bed as he said this, a pouty look on his face.

Scorpius was utterly frustrated at his friend, "I'm not going to chat her up! For the love of Merlin, Albus, quit being such a prick. I brought you up in conversation several times tonight to try to get Florence thinking about you."

"Yeah, I'm sure your comments were rather flattering," Albus muttered sarcastically.

Scorpius hesitated for a moment, "Well they were in jest, but she got the message that I think you are a really stand up guy."

"Sure, Scorpius." Albus was quiet for a long moment and then he said, "Just promise me right now that you have no interest in her."

Scorpius felt the hesitation again, but he hoped that Albus didn't notice it. "I promise I have no interest in Florence Roberts."

 _Dearest daughter,_

 _I hope the meeting went well. The cabinet was absolutely awful. Hopefully the next one won't be as bad. I'm rather busy, so I can't write much. Tell the headmistress I said hello, will you? Keep your chin up, my dear._

 _Mum_


End file.
